Nikolausabbey (Jüchen)

Nikolauskloster is a monastery in the municipality of Jüchen in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss.

Nikolauskloster is located near Dyck Castle. In 1953, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate founded a study home for young men at Nikolauskloster. These attend the evening high school of the Viersen district. In 1976, the students of the study home founded the brass band "Die fidelen Trachtenmusikanten von St. Nikolaus". In 1945, a military cemetery was established on the monastery grounds.

Middle Ages

The exact origin of the monastery is unknown. According to legends, a St. Nicholas Chapel may have existed as early as the 12th century. The Nikolaus Chapel was first mentioned in writing on February 25, 1398, as "Sinter Claes". In 1401, the hermit Heinrich von der Blume, from the Blumenhof of Lüttenglehn, settled here and took possession of the chapel and a dwelling located there. Another five or six people joined him, who in 1403 professed the Rule of the Regular Tertiaries of St. Francis. In 1451, a new church was built.

Modern Era

Between 1715 and 1746, the monastery acquired its present form. In 1802, the monastery was secularized and became the property of the French state. On May 6, 1806, Joseph Franz Maria Anton Hubert Ignaz Prince zu Salm-Reifferscheidt Krautheim und Dyck acquired the monastery with 103 hectares 50 ares of land. The monastery was leased by the Salm-Dyck family, and the church served as a pantry. Between 1842 and 1854, an agricultural school was located in the monastery rooms. In the following years, the then Prince Joseph had the church restored, and so on August 10, 1860, the first service could be held again. In 1905, the Oblates from Hünfeld near Fulda moved into a part of St. Nikolauskloster. During the Second World War, the monastery served as a military hospital. Life there places high demands on the students and the religious.